Electric Machine Lead

American Supercritical; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity ownership

Premium medical coverage for employee

Dental and vision coverage

Life insurance & long-term disability

401(k) retirement plan

Unlimited PTO

Parental leave (8 weeks)

Hardware ownership

Mountain view from office

Job summary

American Supercritical is developing a new generation of supercritical CO2 turbomachinery for efficient power generation. We seek an Electric Machine Lead to own the high-speed generator from architecture to validation, collaborating with turbomachinery, structures, bearings, controls, and power electronics.

You will drive electromagnetic and mechanical design decisions, manage interfaces, and coordinate with suppliers to ensure robust hardware.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Aerospace Engineering, or related field or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years designing electric machines that progressed from analysis into manufactured hardware.
• Deep understanding of electromagnetic design, winding design, materials, losses, and thermal behavior.
• Experience with high-speed machines where rotor mechanics, retention, balance, overspeed, or windage affected design.
• Fluency with electromagnetic analysis and tools such as Ansys Maxwell, JMAG, Motor-CAD.

Responsibilities

• Own electric-machine architecture, requirements, design, integration, supplier execution, and validation.
• Lead electromagnetic design including machine sizing, winding configuration, material selection, loss modeling, efficiency, and operating-envelope analysis.
• Own rotor, thermal, bearing, and mechanical interfaces working with turbomachinery and structural engineers.
• Define electrical and controls interfaces including voltage, current, frequency, rectification, sensing, protection, startup, shutdown, and fault response.
• Lead relationships with design firms and suppliers, including specs, statements of work, reviews, and acceptance criteria.
• Develop and execute generator validation plans, including dynamometer and integrated-system testing, and compare with analytical predictions.

Skills

Electromagnetic design

Rotor dynamics & high-speed

System-level engineering

Electric machines design

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering

Master’s degree or PhD (preferred)

Tools

Ansys Maxwell

JMAG

Motor-CAD

Job description

About American Supercritical

American Supercritical is making heat to valuable to waste. We are building a new generation of power plants for a world that desperately needs electricity. We’re developing supercritical CO2 turbomachinery that can turn today’s gas turbines into dramatically more efficient combined-cycle systems initially for the fast-growing data center market. These same systems can also transform how SMRs, geothermal plants, concentrated solar plants, thermal batteries, and industrial processes convert heat to electricity.

We’re a team of energy, aerospace, and power-generation veterans building real machines to solve hard problems in energy. We’re looking for exceptional engineers who want broad ownership, fast iteration cycles, and the opportunity to help define both the product and the company.

Role Overview

The Electric Machine Lead owns the high-speed generator at the center of our powertrain, from architecture and electromagnetic design through mechanical and thermal integration, supplier execution, and hardware validation.

You’ll work closely with turbomachinery, structures, bearings, controls, and power electronics to make system-level decisions around topology, voltage, speed, cooling, rotor design, protection, and manufacturability. We care more about sound engineering judgment and working hardware than allegiance to a particular machine architecture.

Responsibilities

• Own electric-machine architecture, requirements, design, integration, supplier execution, and validation.

• Lead electromagnetic design including machine sizing, winding configuration, material selection, loss modeling, efficiency, and operating-envelope analysis.

• Own rotor, thermal, bearing, and mechanical interfaces in close collaboration with turbomachinery and structural engineers.

• Define electrical and controls interfaces including voltage, current, frequency, rectification, sensing, protection, startup, shutdown, and fault response.

• Lead technical relationships with design firms and critical suppliers, including specifications, statements of work, design reviews, and acceptance criteria.

• Develop and execute generator validation plans, including dynamometer and integrated-system testing, and correlate analytical predictions with test data.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

• 5+ years designing electric machines that progressed from analysis into manufactured and tested hardware.

• Deep understanding of electromagnetic design, winding design, magnetic materials, losses, thermal behavior, and machine performance.

• Experience with high-speed machines where rotor mechanics, retention, balance, overspeed, or windage materially affected the design.

• Fluency with electromagnetic analysis and FEA tools such as Ansys Maxwell, JMAG, Motor-CAD, or equivalent.

• Strong system-level judgment across electromagnetic, mechanical, thermal, controls, and power-electronics boundaries.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree or PhD in Electrical, Mechanical, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.

• Experience with permanent-magnet, synchronous-reluctance, or switched-reluctance machines.

• Experience with active magnetic bearings or other high-speed bearing systems.

• Experience with hermetic, canned, process-fluid, or similarly integrated electric machines.

Benefits & Compensation

• Meaningful equity ownership in an early-stage company.

• 100% of employee medical premiums and 80% of dependent medical premiums covered.

• 100% employer-paid dental and vision coverage.

• Employer-paid basic life insurance and long-term disability coverage.

• 401(k) retirement plan.

• Unlimited PTO we actually expect you to take.

• 8 weeks of paid parental leave.

• Significant ownership of real hardware.

• A beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains from the office.

Our Commitment

American Supercritical is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Our hiring process is designed to be accessible, fair, and focused on the work that matters most for the role. Reasonable accommodations are available throughout the hiring process and employment.